|  Anuradhapura
Hundreds of years prior to the birth of Christ, while other
regions were emerging from the stone ages, Sri Lanka was
a land of highly advanced cities of which Anuradhapura was
the greatest. Its ruins today display infinite detail of
rare beauty, delicately set in the world’s mightiest
masses of monumental masonry, second only to the pyramids
of Egypt.
As it was only the Buddhist religion that was considered
worthy of permanence, Buddhist structures alone were given
to the imperishable medium of stone.
For Buddhists there are eight places of particular sanctity
within Anuradhapura. These are the Sri Maha Bodhi, the Ruwanweli
Seya, the Thuparama Dagoba, the Jetavanarama Dagoba, the
Abhayagiri Dagoba, the Lankarama Dagoba, the Mirisaweti
dagoba and the Isurumuniya Viharaya.
From a non-religious point of view, Anuradhapura is captivating
for its architectural excellence. The city has an appeal
that relates to almost anyone and even the least artistically
inclined traveler will find himself in awe and wonder.
(Information obtained from Sri Lanka - Insight Guides,
Apa Productions (HK) Ltd.) |
